Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Thick foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of chocolate, cocoa, mint cream, and Junior Mints. Taste is much the same with a really nice cocoa and minty finish. There is a mild roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer that is super tasty and easy to drink. (555 characters)

A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a quarter finger high tan head that died down but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.S: There are moderate aromas of mint leaves in the nose along with not some notes of roasted chocolate malts.T: The taste is similar to the smell and has more prominent flavors of roasted malts and a moderate amount of bitterness. The bitterness and minty flavors linger through the finish, which also has some hints of citrus and pine resin hops.M: It feels medium-bodied and somewhat dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.O: This beer is very minty and has a nice blend of roasted malts but it seemed like it could have used a little more chocolate and sweetness in lieu of bitterness to make this taste like one of those chocolate mints that they leave on your pillow at a hotel when the bed is turned down for the night. It is quite drinkable because the alcohol is well masked from the taste. However, the balance improves as the beer warms up. (1,034 characters)

Appearance: A very nice pour, starting with a 50/50 mix of tan foam and black liquid; in the time it took me to type this far, the balance shifted to 25.75 with the head leaving some clumps of lace behind

Taste: BIttersweet chocolate and mint, up front, with black bread and bitter hops building in the middle; in a bottle that I tried shortly after it was bottled, the mint flavor got a little overpowering, after the swallow, or perhaps the chocolate just receded; letting it age another 18 months produced a much more balanced finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate carbonation

Overall: A beer to let sit on your tongue a bit as it demonstrates the different taste bud receptors - the ones on the front and tip detecting the chocolate and the mint, and the ones on the sides, the bitter elements; mixing it all together too quickly does not allow the beers' better aspects to shine; I bumped up the scores by a couple of notches after tasting the bottle with some aging (1,053 characters)

wow, never had anything quite like this. it pours really black, deep, intense. not a ray of light showing through. a two inch bubbly mocha head rests on top. the smells is great, tons of roasted malt, big oat profile, and that york peppermint patty smell. the mint is pretty forward, but its sweet mint, not too peppery, although i think peppermint must have been used. chocolate rounds everything out, and i think its milk rather than dark chocolate, as there is a nice sweetness. flavor is real complex, mint is up front right as you sip it, but then relaxes to a big oaty stout. cant believe this is close to 10% abv, it is super drinkable, smooth in the mouth, and not gimmicky at all. id gladly have another. i could also imagine a nitro tap doing wonders for this beer, although the mouthfeel was fine without it. impressive to pull off a beer this bizarre with such drinkability. a must must try. (903 characters)

And like any fantasy of a chocolate mint stout should, the beer pours with a lush onyx-black (lack of) color that's beautiful and highly seductive. A creamy whipped head of mocha separates from the beer and both laces and retains brilliantly. To the eye, the beer does all that large stouts demand.

The succulent aromas melt the sense of smell and weaken the knees as the candy-ish scent of dark chocolate and mint wrap around deep toffee and espresso roast notes to perfection. Roasted nuts and slight smoky-sweet scents complement the balance ideally. The beer really does smell like a dessert, just with a backbone of stout.

Nearly as seductive to taste as it was to sniff, the flavors of roast projects first and foremost. It layers upon a quiet underpinning of burnt toffee, walnuts, and cocoa. But then the middle palate really opens up with bittersweet chocolate, spearmint, and peppermint for a winter-fresh taste that massages the sweet tooth. It's rich elegant taste is absolutely sublime.

Dense in texture, there's enough creamy and velvety malt to support the sharper roast edges and dampens the roast astringency. This keeps the focus on the spice and herb additions even as the malty textures recede and the alcohol dryness and warmth rise. The beer finishes long, roasty, and semi-dry as to meld into the next sip seamlessly.

The beer gives just enough of a dessert-like character to make me want more. But giving me more would disrupt the balance and push further away from its bold beer character. Yes, I would prefer a smoother, silkier, more velvety and milky taste and texture that's less rough- but then I'm asking for a culinary delight meant for a plate and not a glass. This constant yearning makes this beer great! (1,780 characters)

This poured out as a very deep black color with a creamy tan colored head on top. The retention and lacing we very good on this beer. Very sticky lacing on the glass. The smell of the beer has a great balance of natural mint and cocoa on the nose. There isn't much malt coming through though. The taste is very good too, it tastes how it smells. Lots of mint blended with a dark rich chocolate flavor. There is a hefty amount of bitterness in there also. The mouthfeel was smooth, oily and almost a little on the gritty side but perhaps that was just yeast from the bottom of the keg coming out of the line. Overall, it's a stunning beer... It's much more balanced than Red & Black from Dogfish Head. It tastes better from start to finish. This is a very good brew and deserves to be tried especially during the winter months. (826 characters)

Now that the duck and goose are done, dessert can be had, complete with an appropriate beer pairing. This stuff pours a very dark black-brown topped by a finger of brown foam. The nose comprises darkly-roasted malts and dark chocolate. No mint in sight quite yet... The taste brings in more of the same, though the chocolate comes through a bit bitterer than before. Still no mint... The body is a light-leaning medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a nearly chewy feel. Overall, this is a nice-enough stout, but with one glaring issue: There's no mint character whatsoever anywhere. I made sure to pass my glass around to the other party-goers, especially those who are fans of grasshoppers (the cookies, the drink, and possibly the insect), and no one got a hint of mint. Kinda disappointing. Without the mint, this is just a solid, chocolatey stout. Oh well... (968 characters)

Pours almost black color with a nice layer of tan head. This beer has really nice chocolate/mint flavor to it. Mint scares me because it can make things taste like mouthwash, but that's not the case here. Reminds me of a thin mint. This is a really nice use of mint in a beer. Stone tends to be extreme, but they didn't overdo it here. There is a really nice sweet roast throughout that brings everything together. (452 characters)

Pours a darker creamy thick 1 finger head that fades slowly with decent lacing, over pretty much pitch black beer.

NOse wow mint, I didn't expect that much mint, a nice fresh peppermint, and with the dark cocoa it reminds me of the hot chocolate with a shot of peppermint schapps I like to do in the winter. Some dark cocoa, and hint of baker's chocolate, faint caramel and biscuit, touch of booze, seems like a creamy almost lactose chocolate. Just dominates with mint though.

Taste again brings mint and plenty of it, that fresh peppermint leaf, and again cocoa, dark chocolate blended with the mint, it really has a junior mint flavor nicely. Little caramel and biscuit malt again, as cocoa gets a little creamy and lactose like but not quite, then baker's chocolate and dark chocolate. Bitterness comes in, a light earthy and mint hop flavor, and bitterness from dark malts and the mint itself it seems. Creamy malts lead to a light powdered cocoa as it moves towards the finish, which is also creamy but slightly dry, plenty more cocoa, little caramel, mint is there strong as well still and lingers for a while, with a bit more earthy bitterness at this point.

Mouth is med to fuller bodied, fluffy carbonation wtih tons of carb, just a faint hint of booze.

The brewer's intention seems to have been met in all aspects here, a lovely extreme beer we have here. Obviously mint and chocolate go, but to put both in a beer and have it this balanced is quite a feat. (543 characters)

First had: bottle from Capone's, Norristown, PAThis review: on tap at Capone's

I found this beer to be pretty lousy in the bottle, so I figured I'd give it a try on tap. It was better, but not by a whole lot.

Once again, a solid black pour, a small beige cap that receded to a tiny ringlet. Aroma of dark roasty malts and cocoa, definitely a bit of mint in there, which was not in the bottle at all. The taste was better, displaying a closer sensation to an Andes mint, though more on the chocolaty side, with the mint present but mostly subdued. But, like the bottle, there was still a heavy bitterness in this that was very uncomfortable and made drinking any more than a sampler size impossible for me. Very unbalanced. The mouthfeel was a bit better, standing at about medium, with the booze being better concealed and the chocolate coming out more. Decent overall, but not something I'd go for again, now that I've had both serving types. (946 characters)

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap acquired at the Cap N Cork in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California for $3.99 and served into a Uinta brewing pilsner glass in me gaff in Los Feliz. Expectations are fairly high given the good reviews I've heard, but Stone has a tendency to be over-hyped. I thought their "Imperial Russian Stout" was fairly pathetic, so I'm hoping this changes my mind and blows me away.

Served straight from the refrigerator. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

Paired with hard pretzels.

A: Pours a two finger rich dark beautiful tan head of marvelous frothy cream, great thickness, and fantastic retention for the high ABV. Colour is a solid nontransparent black. Opaque. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. A gorgeous beer. I'm hoping it tastes as good as it looks.

Sm: Light chocolate, a bit of cream, dominant spearmint, and underlying dark malts. A light aroma. I expect a beer in this style to have a lot more going on.

T: Mint definitely comes through, especially on the climax and in the third act. I don't know that I like it; it's a strange effect. It does pique my interest, though. Some chocolate complements it nicely. Chocolate malts and dark malts provide the unobtrusive foundation. Unfortunately, there's hardly any roasted barley character. It does drink very smooth; I like it more and more as I drink it. No alcohol is detectable. It's well built, with well executed layering and smart complexity. I don't know that I'd necessarily call it subtle, but the mint does have a creeping understated effect. No yeast comes through. Very pleasant and enjoyable.

Mf: Smooth, wet, and of good thickness. Moderate on the palate; not heavy like many beers in the style. Suits the flavour profile marvelously. A bit of cream up front and again in the climax. Very well executed, never getting too far into porter territory. As smooth as a good Stout can be. I know it sounds strange, but the mouthfeel of the beer evokes the texture of the surface of a mint. Smooth and comforting. I like it.

Dr: I'm impressed. Stone usually disappoints me, but this one is solid. I credit Ken Schmidt, not Stone. A solid innovative brew that really delivers on its strange concept. I'd love to try this on nitro someday. One of the few Stone beers I'd actually recommend to friends. Hides its ABV incredibly well. This is one tasty beer, but that said it doesn't satisfy the expectations (dare I say conventions) of the style. Those obsessed with the style might not like this one. I quite fancy it, however. Priced somewhat highly.

A - Tan foam settles to a thick collar, wispy partial cap, and minimal lace. Dark brown body with some ruby-brown highlights at the edges of the glass.

S - Mint and chocolate, although the mint isn't overpowering like some of the other beers I've tried of this ilk. Fairly sweet, with hefty doses of chocolate, caramel, and molasses. Alcohol is well-hidden.

T - The taste is also heavy on the chocolate, with notes of dark bread and milled grains. The mint shows up at the back end and complements rather than overpowers. Not much alcohol presence.

D - I liked this beer quite a bit. It's got good balance and well-integrated flavors, and never comes off as gimmicky or heavy-handed. A pleasant surprise, and I beer I'd happily drink again if it hadn't been recalled from the Chicago market. I'm curious who already had the local trademark registration, as I've never seen another bottled beer like this on the shelves here. (1,083 characters)

m - Light, thin body and moderate carbonation. Some bitterness as well due to the bitter chocolate taste I think.

o - Overall an interesting beer that I would guess hit what they were going for. Nice mint chocolate smells and tastes which work well together, though the body is a bit thin. I would have liked it to be a little sweeter rather than bitter, but still nice. Cool to try, bet this would go well as dessert with some iced cream. (1,108 characters)

Beer is medium in body, tastes like chocolate and mint. The finish is the downfall of this beer. It is thin and is very bitter on the back. I like everything about this beer but the finish. Makes it a little harsh. I'd consider having it again. (445 characters)

A: Pours an opaque jet black in color with some dark amber highlights and moderate amounts of visible carbonation near the surface. The beer has a finger tall creamy dark mocha head that slowly reduces to a very thin film covering the entire surface of the beer with a couple of small thin patches of medium sized bubbles and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed,

S: Moderate to strong aromas of mint and chocolate (almost the exact same smell as thin mint girl scout cookies) with some lighter notes of roasted malts. There are some very very light notes of alcohol.

T: Upfront there are moderate flavors of dark roasted malts that then leads into some strong rich dark chocolate and peppermint. Very light notes of roasted coffee and caramel sweetness with a little bit of pine hoppiness int he finish. Moderate amounts of bitterness in the finish which lingers.

M: Full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth and creamy, almost velvety with some light notes of dryness and alcohol heat in the finish.

O: I'm surprised at how well balanced this mint chocolate stout is... it sounded really delicious and delivered which is really great. I think the mint really complemented the nice rich chocolaty flavors of the stout. Definitely enjoyable and worth getting. (1,336 characters)

The beer pours a very dark brown to black color with a tan head. The aroma is as expected. I get a lot of wintergreen mint character as well as a lot of roasted malt and chocolate. The flavor is more of the same. The mint character melds well with the chocolate, tasting a bit like Thin Mints. The mint provides a cooling quality that I find interesting. There is also some roasted malt, but this is all about the chocolate and mint. The alcohol is very well hidden. Medium to thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation. (516 characters)

12oz bottle into a matching Stone pint. Big thanks go to BA anotherjoe who sent this one my way as a much appreciated extra in our recent trade. The brew pours black in color with a finger of brown head resting atop. The cap is composed of rather large bubbles and as it fades, it leaves a webbing of lace sticking tot he glass.

The aroma has hints of ande's chocolate mints along with a familiar tangy alcohol component and dark roasted grain. There is a little bit of a black licorice candy character present blending into some earth and tobacco. I cant help but be reminded of that one brew stone did for their 12th anniversary (i think?) the chocolate oatmeal stout. Towards the back, as the brew warms up, it has a bit of peppermint quality.

The taste is a bit unexpected. It displays a pretty big pine-like hop bitterness that transitions into a flavor of burnt, ashy and bitter grain. There is a bit of peppermint inclusion that mixes with the alcohol and it really gets exaggerated and warms up across the back of the throat. Some hints of roasted coffee and bitter cacao blend into some earthiness and trace amounts of black licorice towards the finish. The combination of peppermint and pine-like hops is a bit much.

This is a medium to fuller bodied brew with a moderate amount of carbonation. This is an interesting brew that I am sure will be a big hit with some people. I just couldnt get into it. The pine-like hops, the bitter roastiness of the grain and the mint inclusion just make for an experience I just didnt enjoy all that much. I wanted to like this, I really did but I guess mint in beer just isnt my thing. Regardless, I am super appreciative of the chance to try this. Thanks again Joe! (1,716 characters)

Stone Mint Chocolate Chip Beer is a black stout. The body is thick and very black, nothing coming through the edges. A beige head about an inch up above leaving minor notches on the way down. Scent is what you would expect, mint, it hits the nose on impact with some cocco scent and roasted character. A bit of alcohol seeps through, but not the whole 9%. Tis the season. Thinking this would be a overly sweet cloying mess, I was surprised I was able to get through the glass. The mint while the main flavor, does not overpower the malt base and chocolate. This also has a hoppy middle that's subtle, and helps the sweetness subside. Feel is smooth, this goes down easy with a small carb popping off, just a bit of alcohol flavor which I feel is needed in this type of beer. This is a step up from DFH's Black and Red, the mint flavor is big, but not as cloying as you would think it could be. Good in small doses. (935 characters)

A - oil thick, pitch black with a big, brown head that has good retention

S - mint leaves, chocolate, roasted malts

T - huge chocolate, mint leaves, roasted malts, mild bitter finish

M - full bodied, well carbonated, warming alcohol

This beer was awesome! The chocolate was incredible, indulgent, impressive, and rich. The mint was heavy on the nose, but added a nice compliment to the chocolate in the flavor. This has tremendous drinkability for the ABV. If you like a chocolate stout or if you like a little something different, this is most certainly a beer that is worth trying. I am very impressed! (648 characters)

A: Pours a jet black with brown hints. A big 3 finger tan head erupts, but dies down pretty quickly. Some spotty lace is left.

S: Smells just like an Andes mint, pretty cool actually. I can feel it in my eyes if I get too close. Definite notes of dark chocolate as well.

T: Sweet chocolate and mint, cream, with a hint of coffee. Clear bitter cocoa to finish, with some roast.

M: Medium to full-bodied, very creamy and frothy, a soft carbonation obviously. Long minty aftertaste.

O: I've never been a fan of the much heralded Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, but this is a damn good effort and fun to boot. Like drinking an Andes mint with some York Peppermint Patties in the finish. Bootlegger's does a Mint Chocolate Porter for their winter seasonal, but this is taking it to the next level. (811 characters)

A nice cocoa and espresso like colored head. Coffee like looking brown crema top with about two fingers of bubbles. Body is a dark walnut brown/black quite dark and fairly standard opaque.

Nose is advertised. Mint comes across as vanilla menthol, sort of those Andes like candy chocolates, sort of silky. A nice menthol warmth too, I really like this it's just that the chocolate angle seems kind of ordinary. No major complaints that's for sure.

Palate though is a bit acrid and sour. A slight sour, and real big bitter tinge on this of hinting burnt grain. Mint action lingers on the finish mixing with some type of hop bitter angle, possibly grapefruit. Interesting, but it feels a little off kilter. Warmth brings a much more controlled palate as subsequent sips bring out less bitter, allowing the chocolate and mint to dominate. Mouthfeel seems slightly thin but it's a minor thing.

Overall I wasn't getting that impressed on first sip, but it got considerably better the more of it I had over time. (1,060 characters)

Taste - The mint is less dominant here and the chocolate aspects prevail. Bitter coffee malts balance it. The finish is strongly bitter and roasty. Develops into a dry bitter stout at the end.

Mouthfeel - Chewy, medium-high body. It's not a huge stout, but it drinks like some of the big guys. The bitter finish is a little harsh and detracts from the dessert aspects of this. Maybe that's the point.

Overall - Love the mint. I thought it would be gimmicky, but it's a great combination of flavors. Now, how would a barrel affect this? (824 characters)

Pours pitch black with a thin, half finger mocha head that immediately settles into a thin ring. Sporadic spots of lace left behind.

Sweet chocolate malt aroma with subtle roast but not much mint character. Sweet baker's chocolate dominates the nose with cocoa, fudge and chocolate cake along with lactic sugars, toast and coffee bean. After it warms, there's a very faint mint presence but it's overpowered by the chocolate, malt and lactic notes.

On the fuller end of medium bodied with a stronger roast presence than the nose suggests. Still, it has lots of sweet chocolate but there's also burnt toast, espresso bean and oatmeal. Dessert-like chocolate cake and sweet malt flavors with lactic creaminess and sweet sugars. Some burnt malt and earthy hop bitterness. The mint comes in faintly towards the end of the palate but lingers well after with a cool, refreshing finish. Could use more mint but it's well balanced and the high abv is excellently masked. One of the better stone collaborations. (1,028 characters)